Ashford Borough Council are a district-level authority that cover an area of 580 square kilometres with a population of 141,000. The Council has set targets to achieve net zero carbon emissions associated with their own estate and services by 2030, and by 2050 for the borough.
In 2021, LASER provided our Roadmap Service to the Council who wanted to understand their carbon footprint and pathways to meet their net zero targets. Seeking to identify how emissions had changed for buildings and owned vehicles, LASER worked with the Council during 2025 and 2026. Footprints were generated, drivers behind changes in emissions and associated costs were identified and an analysis of emissions associated with their top ten consuming sites was carried out.
The Council wanted to know their most recent carbon footprint alongside an interim period, to understand their current position and how emissions had changed since 2019 – they also wanted to know which ten buildings were their largest carbon emitters.
This would allow them to:
Tailoring our approach to the Council’s specific priorities, LASER generated carbon footprints for 2024 which presented emissions from their most significant sources.
A year-on-year comparison of emissions and costs for these sources was also carried out for 2019, 2023 and 2024, alongside identifying how changes in emissions factors and consumption had impacted emissions between 2019 and 2024.
For their ten largest carbon emitting sites, analysis was carried out, comparing gas and electricity use, and identifying which sites contributed most significantly to emissions overall.
LASER provided a concise and easy-to-navigate Excel Output Report which pulled together the above work in a variety of charts and tables, alongside pertinent commentary. A data quality assessment was included, where data was ranked, allowing the Council to understand the overall impact that each source had on the footprint and where steps could be taken to improve data quality. The executive summary provided a succinct overview of the project, key findings and the potential next steps for the Council.
By commissioning a review of their emissions, Ashford were able to understand their current position and how emissions had changed since the baseline year. The year-on-year comparison distinguished between reductions driven by the Council’s actions and those resulting from changes in emissions factors – this provided clarification of where genuine progress had been made from consumption reductions and also highlighted areas where further focus may be beneficial.
The site-specific analysis highlighted the top ten carbon emitters and which sites contributed significantly, helping to support the Council with decisions about where energy saving projects would be of most benefit, and potential prioritisation of carbon reduction projects.
With our expert carbon accounting knowledge and support, Ashford Borough Council have a tailored and concise report, which details historic and recent carbon footprints, costs and comparisons. This will support their net zero journey by allowing them to understand their overall position, as well as individual emissions sources and sites, providing data to allow informed decision making for emission reduction projects.
LASER remains committed to supporting Ashford on their journey with our dedicated account managers who will regularly check in to offer ongoing support with our Roadmap Service and details of our other Net Zero Frameworks.
LASER can also provide expert carbon reduction insight and knowledge to support the Council’s next steps, such as:
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Tailored carbon footprint reviews, year on year comparisons and site-specific analysis.